


The Haunted World of Mariana

by MarimenCarmen2



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera
Genre: Bullying, Creepypasta, Gen, Ghosts, Haunted Houses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 22:35:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14778560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarimenCarmen2/pseuds/MarimenCarmen2
Summary: After the events of "The Grave Escape," Juanfran's ancestor's spell book ends up in a second-hand store and eventually gets purchased as a cheap gift for a eighteen year-old girl named Mariana.She accidentally summons the ghost of a abused woman named Dolores.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by a number of factors. First, I really like The Haunted Hathaways.

She stepped out of her room, not certain whether or not to even bring it up. It wasn't a big deal, really. Her parents were busy and didn't need to be bothered. When you got down to it, today was just another day. Why should she say anything about it?

She knew Grandma would have insisted she remind her parents. Actually, the old woman would have scolded them for forgetting in the first place. But Grandma had been gone for almost four years, so she would have to do it.

The brunette child walked slowly into the living room. It was a clean and neat room, like out of a magazine. The white-walled, white-carpeted room with the expensive furniture was designed to be sleek and professional, a room for adults. Most of the house was like that. If someone looked around the place, they would never guess that the married couple had a daughter. They simply liked the lifestyle of the working professional; she understood that.

"Um… Mom. Dad," she began slowly, standing on the far side of the glass coffee table with the decorative statuette on it. She waited until both adults glanced in her direction from where they sat on the leather couch. Happily, it only took a few seconds for that confused and annoyed expression that always occurred when she bothered them to fade off of their faces this time. "I'm about to go to school, but I thought… I should remind you what today is." She tugged at the straps of her purple backpack nervously, "It's… my birthday."

"Oh… right," her mother muttered. She frowned slightly, apparently searching her memory. The brown-haired woman often needed to do that when dealing with her child. But she was a busy person and had lots to think about at work. "You're turning… fifteen."

"Eighteen," the girl corrected quietly.

"Of course, Mariana," she continued, unfazed by the mistake.

Her father, sighing tiredly, asked, "And I suppose you would like a present and cake?"

"You… don't have to," the child answered the mustached man. "But it is kind of tradition."

Her father was even busier than her mother and he was in charge of the family's finances. She knew he would be less than thrilled with using their income on frivolous things. And the fancy furniture, fancy clothes, and fancy restaurants weren't frivolous. They worked hard all day and deserved a few rewards. It would be greedy of her to want her parents to waste their hard-earned money on presents and cake. She was only bringing it up because Grandma would want her to at least mention it.

"Do you know how much it would cost to get a cake? And it is nothing but sugar and empty calories," pointed out her mother, actually meeting her daughter's gaze.

Mariana knew what her parent saw. She knew what she looked like, standing there anxiously as she tugged her sleeves further down. Her light pink dress swallowed most of her small form. Her white shoes made her seem more ordinary and bland. Her brown eyes always seemed to be drifting to the ground, giving the impression that she wanted to disappear. The only trait that didn't match the portrayal of someone wanting to hide was the reddish pink scrunchies that tied back her straight brown hair. She knew what she looked like, but didn't know if her parents approved of the mouse-like child or would have rather had one more assertive.

"Perhaps we can pick up a small gift later if we find time," her father finally remarked. "But that is all."

A smile flickered across her face. They might really get her a present? She couldn't ask for anything more. Maybe they would even stay home and spend her birthday together…

No, that would be too much. But a gift would still be nice.

"Thank you," Mariana informed them both. "I'll see you after school."

Their attention was already off of her, the adults returned to the newspaper and business reports in front of them. She didn't mind. They were busy people, after all.

"I know that the business dinner is tonight," the brunette woman remarked to whoever was on the phone. "My husband and I won't be late. I just have to take care of a few things first." She paused a moment as the other person spoke before explaining, "I have to pick up a gift. A waste of time and money, but it's expected."

She glanced around the store and seemed to randomly select something out of the various boxes of junk. By a stroke of chance, her manicured nails wrapped around the old cursed book.

"No, not until Friday," she continued her conversation, absently handing the store owner a small handful of dollar bills and took the change. Really, the book was being sold for six dollars? 

As she reached home, a quick glance in the garage at the shiny car proved that her parents were still home. Maybe they hadn't forgotten about her birthday. She allowed herself to hope, but she didn't quite get excited yet. There would be no reason to get upset if they didn't remember or couldn't stay. They were busy people with busy lives. Them actually being home to meet her was a good sign, but she shouldn't be disappointed about anything that might happen.

Mariana slipped inside the house, quiet as a mouse. Her parents were already dressed to go out. Her father was wearing his suit with his mustache freshly trimmed and her mother was wearing her red dress. She knew they had plans, but at least they were home for a few minutes.

"I'm home," she mumbled unnecessarily.

"We'll be out late. There's food in the kitchen. Don't make a mess," her mother remarked, checking her hair in the mirror. She paused briefly and picked up something from the coffee table. "It isn't wrapped, but we bought you a birthday present."

Mariana smiled as her parent handed her a cursed book.

Carrying her new book, which was not nearly as heavy as she expected, Mariana headed towards her room. Unlike the rest of the house, it didn't look like it was professionally decorated. But it did look a bit beige. The walls and carpet were that boring brown color that houses tended to be when they were first built. It wasn't a bad thing; they used the money to redecorate the rest of the house in areas the entire family used. Beside more colorful walls would probably clash with her plain furniture and basic purple bedspread. Beside her bed was a small nightstand with an alarm clock. On her dresser were a hairbrush and a picture frame from when she and Grandma were at the park when she was three. The small collection of books, a couple of board games, and a handful of stuffed animals finished up the room.

Setting the lamp down on her night stand, the girl opened her backpack and pulled out her stuffed toy bear. Teddy was a gift from Grandma on her fourth birthday. She took it everywhere with her. One of the teachers had once referred to it as being a comfort item for her. She generally tried to not let people know she carried it around since her classmates would make fun of her for keeping her Teddy with her all the time. But regardless, she kept it.

She placed the stuffed animal on her pillow where it belonged. Now satisfied that Teddy was properly positioned, Mariana turned her attention back to her gift. The spellbook was rather neat, but it was also kind of dirty. There was an ugly black smear across the cover that looked a little like grease. Well, that was easy to fix.

The girl reached over and started opening it.

She started reading before a green fire began to spew out of the book. Mariana's jaw dropped as she scurried away from the source of the disturbance. 

Mariana said "Uh-oh?" and went to a cemetery.

The ghost was clearly female, close to an adult in size, and human-ish. She wore a black dress with a collar and white cuffs. She had black hair which covers her eyes.

Dolores said "Peek a boo"

The kid was just staring at her after her scaring.

"Uh, hello? Am I talking to myself here?" she asked

"Oh, sorry," "It is very nice to meet you. My name is Mariana and what's your name."

Dolores sighed and said "Dolores"


	2. Miracle City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Miracle City: a place fulled of crime and villainy.

Most of the items in her room were now stored in a single cardboard box. Her clothes, bedding, her small collection of toys and games, and the handful of articles from the top of her dresser were neatly tucked away, the photograph of her grandmother on top. Seeing all of her belongings missing from her room was so strange, but not quite as surreal as the rest of the house being emptied of all objects. Mariana's personal space in the household never held as much, so the change seemed less drastic.

Still, she wasn't quite finished yet. Dolores might have helped, but not everything was in the box. She picked up her backpack and moved her school supplies around to make room. A space now hallowed between a few scraps of paper and pencils, she slid Teddy inside. With her toy safely stowed, the girl smiled.

The next important item would be her new spellbook. She needed to make sure that no one bothered it. Preferably, she needed to keep them from even touching the book. If they accidentally read it, then ghosts and strange creatures would come and killed them.

Her efforts, however, were quickly halted by the limitations of her backpack. There was simply not enough space. Between her school supplies and Teddy, it couldn't fit inside. In theory, she could use another box to put the book inside, but she wouldn't be able to watch it as closely that way. What if someone dropped the box? She didn't know how fragile the book was and didn't want to test it.

The child glanced between the stuffed backpack and the book, trying to decide what was more important and what the best arrangement would be. Slowly, the girl pulled Teddy out and slipped the book in its place. She could hold the gift from her grandmother in her arms if necessary. her book needed to be kept safe.

Pulling the backpack on, Mariana was once again surprised by how light the book felt. She could carry the weight quite easily. In fact, she felt confident she could carry the loaded backpack around without any problem for quite a reasonable amount of time. A smart and sensible way to keep the book safely out of other people's reach and it served as a convenient manner to transport the item. An idea began to creep around the back of her mind, but she was distracted as the door opened.

She was surrounded by so many new people, a few giving the girl a curious look, and she didn't know what to do about it. A part of her wanted to say something to all these students, wanted to try befriending someone. But the rest of her knew better than to make such an attempt. Mariana knew she had nothing to offer a potential friend; she wasn't interesting, fun, or special in any way. She could only get in the way and waste their time. As soon as the teacher had finished introducing her, she did her absolute best to fade into the background. By the end of the day, no one really seemed to give her much more than a casual glance before moving on. She didn't expect anything different.

Mariana knew she wouldn't have friends at her new school. She didn't even bother to try a futile attempt at gaining them. Except for Dolores and Grandma before she died, no one ever wanted to be around her. She knew that and trying to make friends would be nothing more than an unwanted annoyance for everyone.

Instead, she'd brought her book in her backpack. She have been very macabre that morning either, but she made certain that the book wasn't very fragile.

She held onto the backpack strap as she wandered out of her classroom. Her first day of school was over and she couldn't wait to get home. Once she was home, she wouldn't have to fade into the background. At least, she wouldn't have to once she was in her room.

Abruptly, her progression towards the bus was halted. A hand had clamped down on her shoulder and spun her around.

A quick look demonstrated that the obstacle was an goth girl with black hair and red eyes named Victoria Aves, Daughter of Zoe Aves. She wore a lot of dark clothing and a rather malicious expression as she gazed down at her. Mariana recognized a potential threat when she saw her.

The brunette girl was younger than Juanfran and a little shorter than him, meaning she was a perfect target for the evil goth girl.

Juanfran got upset and read the chant and a flock of crows appeared in the sky. The birds instantly dove towards the goth girl, cawing and pecking at her face. Victoria, screaming in fear and shock, released er grip on the girl and began to swat away at the avian pests. Juanfran took this opportunity to run forward and grab her hand.

"Come on," he urged, pulling her after him.

Leading the girl behind him, the boy ran away from both the bus and the evil goth girl. They would need to hide somewhere. Eventually Zoe would realize they were gone and he would try to find them. They should probably stay out of his way for a while.

Her rescuer led her to the back of the school and finally stopped running when they hid behind a cemetery. 

Mariana couldn't believe what just happened. He noticed her, really noticed her. She was facing a evil goth girl when this boy actually said something about it. And he didn't just say something. He saved her from Victoria Aves, when the birds attacked. A stranger cared enough to help her.

Mariana brought her gaze up, trying to study her rescuer. The black haired boy was a little older than her, maybe 22 or 23 years old. He had a pear nose, a blue hat and shirt.

Glancing around, he commented, "I think we're safe. I don't think Victoria saw where we went." Looking relieved, he smiled at her and added, "By the way, my name's Juanfran."

"My name's Mariana," she responded, her eyes dropping down again. "Thank you for helping. You didn't have to."  
"The coast is clear," a new voice interrupted as two others came around the corner of the dumpster. "You're safe now. But what were you thinking?"

The girl who was speaking had dark brown hair and an guro lolita clothing. The other boy was a Puerto rican wearing a blue sweater vest. Both of them seemed to be the same age as her rescuer and seemed completely focused on the blue-hatted boy.


	3. Macabre Ball

She didn't know what to expect. She'd never even tried to imagine what a school dance would be like before all the discussions about the Macabre Ball began. And she certainly never dreamed of going herself until Juanfran invited her and Dolores made her the most beautiful dress in the world. Mariana didn't know what she might have imagined if she was ever so foolish as to dream of such an impossibility, but this was still amazing.

The gymnasium was decorated with red and black streamers that ran along the walls in small swooping curves. Paper skeletons dangled from the ceiling on fishing line. Music played over a couple of speakers set at the far end of the room and a table with snacks and drinks rested near another wall. Boys in black suits and girls in dresses that consisted of every color of the rainbow moved across the floor quite happily. It was slightly overwhelming and maybe even a little exciting.

"What do you think?" asked Juanfran cheerfully.

"It's… amazing," she whispered.

"Well, don't you look adorable," remarked Ms Hupida, walking over to the entering students. "Wasn't this dance a wonderful idea? I'll have to compliment Vice Principal Chakal for coming up with this. After he's apparently done screaming at the sky and stomping away in a huff." She shook her head at the vice principal as he stormed out of the gymnasium before turning her attention back towards Mariana and Juanfran, "Have a good time."

The brown-haired boy led her towards his two friends. Both of them had rather twins beside them.

"Hey, Mariana," greeted a man. "Having fun? Meet Nikita and Anita Suarez.

"Look, there's Manny and Frida," he exclaimed, pointing across the gym floor.

Glancing in that direction, Mariana spotted the blue haired girl that she'd seen before. Dressed in a light green dress, the blue-haired girl was already slow dancing with a boy with chocolate black hair. She looked happy as she moved back and forth to the music.  
Another song started to play over the speakers. Rezső Seress 's "Gloomy Sunday", a 1933 dark cabaret number, immediately switched the dancing style of the entire gymnasium of students. Juanfran smiled at the familiar tune.

"Want to dance?" he suggested.  
Her eyes dropping briefly, she mumbled, "I don't know how."

The black-haired boy gave her a reassuring grin, "It isn't that hard. You'll pick it up in no time. Just have fun with it."


End file.
